Crews hopeful as conditions improve on Calif. fire

TERRY COLLINS, Associated Press

A red-flag warning was lifted Monday as crews hoped improved conditions would slow a fast-moving wildfire in Northern California.

Nearly 1,400 firefighters were on the ground battling the Scotts Fire, which was threatening about 300 homes and 40 other structures outside Ukiah, state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Daniel Berlant said.

Crews will try to increase containment now that the warning has been lifted and winds gusting up to 40 mph have died down, Berlant said. On Sunday, area residents were told to be prepared to evacuate if wind conditions worsened.

"It's just a precautionary measure," Berlant said. "We wanted to let them know that an evacuation could be imminent."

The blaze that started Friday was 15 percent contained after burning more than 7 square miles in Lake County. Its cause was under investigation.

The fire is among nine active blazes burning throughout the state, officials said.

Meanwhile, about 1,200 firefighters were close to fully containing the fires in Colusa and Yolo counties known as the Sixteen Complex.

The complex has burned 28 square miles since it ignited last Tuesday. It was 90 percent contained Monday as crews aggressively established containment lines through grass, brush and oak woodland in steep and rugged terrain, Berlant said.

No structures have been destroyed or damaged, and an evacuation advisory for the nearby Cortina Indian Rancheria was lifted.

Meanwhile, the North Pass Fire in the Mendocino County community of Covelo was expected to be fully contained Monday evening. The fire caused by lightning has burned 65 square miles and left 26 structures destroyed.